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Chevalionne
Chevalionne Chevalionne is a kingdom located in the North West of the Mist Mountians. Its current king is Phillp the Cavalier. Carefully protected by its brave and honourable knights, Chevalionne is a land of chivalry and honour. However this must be balanced against the poverty and oppression of its peasantry. Goverment & organization Chevalionne is ruled by a king, and the throne is usually passed from father to eldest son. A new king is crowned by the Fay Enchantress and technically at least she outranks him. The kingdom is further organized in 9 provinces, each ruled by its own Duke. Provinces & towns There are no cities in Chevalionne. Most nobles live in mighty castles in the countryside surrounded by a village and only the castles of a handful of dukes protect developed towns, which sport the same name as the respective provinces. The people of Chevalionne consider the life in towns to be somewhat unnatural, fit only for the most desperate and poor. The largest towns are seaports, centres of trade and harbours of the Chevalionnen fleets. Douronne L'Anguille Lyonesse Jartois Bordeleaux, seaport Bastonne Montbacque Clemon Garetueax Society & culture The society of Chevalionne is formed by two classes, the nobility and the peasantry. Nobility The noble class is ruled by the king and is composed by dukes, marquises, earls, barons, and knights. Chevalionnen society is patriarchal but noblewomen seem to be respected. All fit male nobles are knights and follow a code of chivalry, holding noblesse oblige and honour in high regard. While using bows to hunt during peacetime, they refuse to use any distance weaponry in war, considering it dishonorable. Peasantry The peasants have nearly no rights at all, and are illiterate and uneducated. They are considered property, and must surrender 9/10ths of their crops to their feudal lord. As a result most of them will remain extremely poor throughout their entire lives. They may also not leave their home province unless allowed; as a result a certain degree of inbreeding is quite common. Many peasants are afflicted by clubfeet, extra fingers, lazy eyes, or similar defects. Chevalionnen justice is harsh and any peasant who is caught stealing or poaching is usually hanged. An even harsher punishment is dealt to a peasant who attacks a noble. He and his family will be tortured and slowly dismembered, while all his friends and acquaintances will be crippled. Such is the price of rebellion. However rebels have become less of a problem since the Black Sun, the peasants look to the heroic knights to keep the bestials away. Religion The nobles largely worship the Lady of the Lake who is in fact Tycan, one of the Thuatha Dé Maeriel, considered the national patron deity of chivalry. However the other deities of the Old World are respected and presumably worshipped on occasion. The main priestess of the Lady of Lake is the Fay Queen who is respected throughout Chevalionne. Other 'minor' Prophetesses and Damsels roam the kingdom, advising noble families, and occasionally aid Chevalionnen armies in battle through their magical abilities. The peasants are not considered worthy enough to worship the Lady of the Lake directly. While they certainly respect and fear her, they usually worship the other remaining deities or beings that would heed them for good or ill Magic When a Chevalionnen child is gifted with magical abilities it is usually taken by a servant of the Lady of the Lake. Some the female children eventually return as Prophetesses and Damsels of the Lady, but the fate of the male children is unknown as they are never seen again. Some of the wealthiest families send their children to the Colleges of Magic in the world instead, where they will be taught and trained as wizards and magicians. Military Knights are the backbone of the Chevalionnen army. Forming lances, V-shaped formations, they are expected to punch through the enemy lines disrupting their unity and fighting spirit. Knights Errant are young and eager to prove themselves. Knights of the Realm are experienced and hardened warriors. Questing Knight is a former Knight of the Realm who gave up his social position to follow a spiritual quest. Always searching for the Sun Key he will slay monsters and evil foes. If he succeeds, proving his faith, purity, and honour he may be granted more power by the lady of the lake and rise to Knight champion A Knight Champion is a legendary saint and hero, blessed with an extreme long lifespan. Only the most fit and able peasants will be recruited. They are allowed to use bows as they "evidently" have no honour to defend and uphold. In the dukedom of Bastonne every able peasant boy is obliged by law to train himself in the use of a longbow. However this ducal law is rarely upheld and few peasants have the means to buy or the skill to craft a bow, and even fewer have the strength to draw one. Presumably similar laws exist in the other dukedoms with similar results. Crossbows and gunpowder weapons are all but unknown in Chevalionne. Mounted Yeomen (light cavalry) Men-at-arms (foot militia) Longbowmen King Phillip the Cavalier Phillip the Cavalier also known as Phillip the devout, was the founder and first king of Chevalionne. Phillip was a member of the human tribes who had lived in the are for the last 900 years. A consummate solider and leader, after centuries of infighting between the tribes Phillip proceeded to unite the area and drive out the Orcs and Goblins and trolls, fighting twelve significant battles. The Chevalionnen calendar thus begins when Phillip was crowned King of Chevalionne. Phillip was killed 18 years after he began his battles by a hurled weapon thrown by one of the remaining Orc Warlords near the edge of a lake, as he was dying he had a final vision of the Lady of the Lake, and his followers placed him on a ship in a nearby lake, there he sailed into the mists to do the Lady's bidding for all eternity. It is said he would return in Chevalionne's most dire time of need. During the Black Sun, Phillip the Cavalier made good on his promise. When Chevalionne was kingless after an assassination and in the midst of war against their enemies, Phillip, brought back stronger then before appeared on the battlefield, cleaved off the head of the enemy warlord Malloback Soon after, he revealed himself, and was coronated king. He told his people that the Lady of the lake had a task for each and every one of his knights to find the Sun Key, an artifact that would restore the world to life. He reorganized his knights and elevated some of the poor as directed by the lady of the lake. Thus he believes that Chevalionne will save a suffering world